Review: Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost

Reviewed by Jen

I have long been a fan of Jeaniene Frost and the world she created with her Cat and Bones characters. She’d done such a great job building off those books with her spin-off couples, and these Night Prince books have all of the spark I loved in the originals. They’re romantic, sexy, funny, and action-packed. And though I’m sorry to say goodbye to Vlad and Leila, I know it’s not goodbye forever, as they will live on in Ian’s books. (More on that in a minute.)

This installment picks up on the heels of events that happened in the last book. Vlad is searching for his step-son/nephew Mircea who has forged a psychic connection to Leila. Not only can he speak to her telepathically, he can hurt her. Any injury he inflicts on himself will affect her. That’s bad enough, but the situation only gets worse when someone kidnaps Mircea and uses him as tool to blackmail Vlad. If the powerful vamp refuses to do what they want, they could kill Mircea, and by extension Leila.

This story opens up a new level in the world-building… magic. It’s forbidden among vampires, but Vlad needs a magic practitioner to help him unravel the spell that links Leila to Mircea. He goes to Mencheres, who ultimately hooks him up with Ian.

I know lots of readers are fascinated by Ian and his whorish ways, but I’ve always been kind of lukewarm to him. This book, as much as it’s a vehicle to wrap up things for Vlad and Leila, is one to set up Ian’s books. Though some folks may grumble about the shared attention, it was a good choice, in my opinion, because for the first time, I’m interested in this character and what serious conflict is headed his way.

A couple of small niggles. The ending is a little unlikely. Yes, I know it’s about vampires and the whole thing is unlikely, but I mean the resolution felt a little forced and a little messy. I don’t want to spoil it, but there was something unresolved and something else that was a little out of character. Nothing too egregious… like I said, a niggle. The other was the villain reveal. I wouldn’t say it came out of nowhere, but it wasn’t a villain I was able to build any connection with over the course of the story.

Still, I enjoyed this book a lot. Vlad is so gruff and unbending, yet so totally in love with Leila. I like that his love doesn’t transform him, but that he simply approaches his love for her with the same totality and intensity he does for all things that matter to him. He is ruthless in all things, including how he values and protects her. Leila, meanwhile, has come a long way. I love how she truly understands this man she loves and how she would literally walk through fire for him.

A few fun Easter eggs for longtime fans of the series. I am looking forward to seeing how loving one woman will rock Ian’s world. I have faith Frost will not disappoint.